Three liberal-leaning states had a large decrease of population, resulting in the lost thousands of residents between 2016 and 2017 due to crime, high taxes, and, in some cases, the cold harsh winters, where some residents sought warmer weather in other states, the Daily Signal reported.

The top 3 states

New York was the most evident, where an exodus of residents who relocated to other states came as no surprise. The state saw a decline of 190,000, who relocated out of state between July 2016, and July 2017, according to data released by the U.S.

Census Bureau last week. Despite New York's large exodus, which since 2010, has lost over a million residents to other states, New York’s population did grow somewhat marginally, for the most part, because of higher levels of immigration from other countries.

Illinois, not surprisingly, wasn’t so lucky either. Besieged with financial disasters as well as the loss of its tax base due to losing so many of its population to other states, 115,000 residents to be exact, that it dropped from fifth place to sixth place as the most populated state in 2017, losing to Pennsylvania which gained more citizens. Illinois, since 2010, has lost over half a million residents, or about, 650,000, which again, was due to high taxes.

The loss of population in Illinois has become a nightmare for the state’s lawmakers whose state pensions, derived from state taxes, is in dire straits as the state’s tax base continues to shrink year after year with no end in sight. However, what Democrats continue to fail to realize is that raising taxes, which is driving more residents to leave, is not the solution to its revenue stream.

Orphe Divounguy, a chief economist with the Illinois Policy Institute, stated that as residents continue to leave their state with their money, it leaves the state with fewer tax dollars to pay its bills. Divounguy went on to say that with a declining population, it has not only lead to a decline in the states labor force but that they foresee a serious slowdown in the states economic stimulus heading into 2018.

Rounding off the top three states is California, which should come as no surprise due to its very high tax base where the state tax is 13.3, showed that between the same July 2016 through July 2017 time period, the state lost 138,000 residents, once again, mainly due to the states high taxes, second only to New York.

Nevertheless, because as everyone knows, outside of taxes, California was the top recipient in receiving non-domestic migrants as well as illegal aliens, which increased that states net-increase population of 27,000, which would increase that states numbers to 214,000 people, and according to the Census Bureau, California’s population grew by about just over 240,000.

The fastest growing state

As far as the fastest growing state, Idaho leads the nation’s fastest-growing state over the same period, with a state tax of 6 percent, where the population increased 2.2 percent, or 1.7 million residents, during the same time period according to the U.S. Census Bureau’s national as well as state population estimates.